Princess Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (3 April 1831 – 16 December 1909) was the wife of King
Miguel of PortugalDom Miguel I, sometimes Michael , was the King of Portugal between 1828 and 1834, the seventh child and second son of King John VI and his queen, Charlotte of Spain....
but only following his deposition. As a widow, she secured advantageous marriages for their six daughters.
Family
Adelaide was born in
KleinheubachKleinheubach is a market community in the Miltenberg district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany and the seat of the like-named Verwaltungsgemeinschaft .- Location :...
, near
MiltenbergMiltenberg is the seat of the like-named district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany.- Location :...
,
BavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. She was a daughter of
Constantine, Hereditary Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-RosenbergConstantine Josef of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg was the eldest son and heir of Karl Thomas, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg by his wife Sophie of Windisch-Graetz...
(1802–1838), who died about seven years after her birth, and
Princess Agnes of Hohenlohe-LangenburgPrincess Marie Agnes Henriette of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, full German name: Marie Agnes Henriette, Prinzessin zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg was a member of the House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and a Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg by birth...
.
Her paternal grandparents were Karl Thomas, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (1783–1849) and his wife Sophie of
Windisch-GraetzThe House of Windisch-Graetz, also spelled Windisch-Grätz, was a princely family in the Austrian Empire, serving the Habsburg dynasty.The name derives from the town of Windischgrätz in the Duchy of Styria, which is today Slovenj Gradec in the Carinthia region of Slovenia...
. Her maternal grandparents were
Charles Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-LangenburgPrince Charles Louis of Hohenlohe-Langenburg was the third Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg...
and Amalia, Countess of Solms-Baruth.
Patriline
- Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
- Constantine, Hereditary Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
- Karl Thomas, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
- Dominic Constantine, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1762–1814) (inherited the title "Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort" in 1780 but modified it to "Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg" in 1789)
- Theodore Alexander, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1722–1780)
- Dominic Marquard, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1690–1735)
- Maximilian Karl Albert, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1656–1718)
- Ferdinand Karl, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1616–1672)
- Johann Dietrich, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1585–1644)
- Louis III, Count of Löwenstein-Wertheim (1530–1611)
- Frederick I, Count of Löwenstein (1502–1541)
- Louis I, Count of Löwenstein
- Frederick I, Count Palatine of the Rhine
Marriage
On 24 September 1851, Adelaide married
Miguel of PortugalDom Miguel I, sometimes Michael , was the King of Portugal between 1828 and 1834, the seventh child and second son of King John VI and his queen, Charlotte of Spain....
. The bride was 20 years old while the groom was almost 49.
Miguel had at first served as Regent in Portugal for his niece and betrothed Mary II of Portugal but had seized the throne for himself on 23 June 1828. He was an avid conservative and admirer of
Klemens Wenzel von MetternichPrince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich was a German-born Austrian politician and statesman and was one of the most important diplomats of his era...
. He had invalidated the Constitutional Charter written by his brother, Pedro I of Brazil, and tried to rule according to the concept of
absolute monarchyAbsolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
. This resulted in the so-called
Liberal WarsThe Liberal Wars, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers, or Miguelite War, was a war between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834...
(1828–1834), actually a prolonged
civil warA civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists.
The war had ended in 1834 with the deposition of Miguel who renounced all claims to the throne of Portugal in exchange for an annual pension. (Since he renegued on the terms of his deposition, he never collected the pension.) He was forced into a lifelong exile. While he remained the senior male member of the Portuguese line of the
House of BraganzaThe Most Serene House of Braganza , an important Portuguese noble family, ruled the Kingdom of Portugal and its colonial Empire, from 1640 to 1910...
, his rights of succession were never restored. On 15 January 1837, his support of
Infante Carlos, Count of MolinaThe Infante Carlos of Spain was the second surviving son of King Charles IV of Spain and of his wife, Maria Luisa of Parma. As Carlos V he was the first of the Carlist claimants to the throne of Spain...
, the first
CarlistCarlism is a traditionalist and legitimist political movement in Spain seeking the establishment of a separate line of the Bourbon family on the Spanish throne. This line descended from Infante Carlos, Count of Molina , and was founded due to dispute over the succession laws and widespread...
pretender to the Spanish throne, resulted in the removal of his own rights to said throne.
While Adelaide married into royalty, the fact that her husband was a controversial figure for the entire
Iberian PeninsulaThe Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
, as well as a symbol of absolute monarchy and conservatism seemingly left little prospects for any of his descendants.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
| Maria das Neves Infanta Maria das Neves of Portugal was the eldest child and daughter of exiled Miguel of Portugal and his wife Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg...
|
5 August 1852 |
15 February 1941 |
Married Alfonso Carlos, Duke of San JaimeAlfonso Carlos, Infante of Spain, Duke of San Jaime was the Carlist claimant to the throne of Spain under the name Alfonso Carlos I and the Legitimist claimant to the throne of France under the name Charles XII.-Early life:Alfonso Carlos was the second son of Infante Juan...
, Infante of SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Pretender to the Spanish Throne (See: CarlismCarlism is a traditionalist and legitimist political movement in Spain seeking the establishment of a separate line of the Bourbon family on the Spanish throne. This line descended from Infante Carlos, Count of Molina , and was founded due to dispute over the succession laws and widespread...
) |
MiguelMiguel II of Braganza was the Miguelist claimant to the throne of Portugal from 1866 to 1920. He used the title Duke of Braganza.-Biography:...
|
19 September 1853 |
11 October 1927 |
Duke of Braganza The title Duke of Braganza in the House of Braganza is one of the most important titles in the peerage of Portugal. Since the House of Braganza acceded to the throne of Portugal in 1640, the male heir of the Portuguese Crown was known as the Duke of Braganza and Prince of Brazil until 1822, or...
. Grandfather of the present day throne claimant Duarte Pio, Duke of BraganzaDom Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza , is the 24th Duke of Braganza and a pretender to the throne of Portugal.-Birth and education:...
. |
Maria TeresaInfanta Maria Theresa of Portugal was a Princess of the House of Braganza. She became by marriage an Archduchess of Austria and the sister-in-law of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.-Early life:...
|
24 August 1855 |
12 February 1944 |
Married Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria as his third wife. |
| Maria José Infanta Maria José of Portugal , sometimes known in English as Maria Josepha, was a Portuguese infanta, later Duchess in Bavaria by marriage...
|
19 March 1857 |
11 March 1943 |
Married Duke Karl-Theodor in Bavaria Duke Karl-Theodor in Bavaria was a member of the House of Wittelsbach and a well-known ophthalmologist. He was the brother of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria.-Life:...
(brother of Empress Elisabeth of AustriaElisabeth of Austria was the spouse of Franz Joseph I, and therefore both Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. She also held the titles of Queen of Bohemia and Croatia, among others...
) as his second wife. |
| Adelgundes, Duchess of Guimarães Infanta Adelgundes of Portugal, Duchess of Guimarães was the fifth child and fourth daughter of Miguel of Portugal and his wife Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. A member of the House of Braganza by birth, Adelgundes became a member of the House of Bourbon-Parma through her marriage to...
|
10 November 1858 |
15 April 1946 |
Married Prince Henry of Bourbon-Parma, Count of Bardi Prince Henry of Bourbon-Parma, Count of Bardi was the youngest son and child of Charles III, Duke of Parma and his wife Princess Louise Marie Thérèse of France, the eldest daughter of Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry and Princess Caroline Ferdinande Louise of the Two Sicilies.Henry was thus a...
, son of Charles III of Parma. |
Maria AnaInfanta Maria Ana of Portugal , Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, was a Portuguese infanta and Grand Duchess consort of Luxembourg and its Regent...
|
13 July 1861 |
31 July 1942 |
Married Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of LuxembourgWilliam IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg reigned as the sovereign Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 17 November 1905 until his death. He succeeded his father, Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. He also held the titular title of Duke of Nassau.William IV was a Protestant, the religion of the House of Nassau...
. |
| Maria Antónia |
28 November 1862 |
14 May 1959 |
Married Robert I, Duke of ParmaRobert I was the last sovereign Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1854 to 1859, when the duchy was annexed to Sardinia-Piedmont during the unification of Italy...
as his second wife. |
Matchmaker and Later life
Her husband, Miguel, died on 14 November 1866 before any of their children had reached adulthood. Adelaide would spend the next several decades attempting to secure prominent marriages for her children.
As a result of her largely successful attempts, her grandchildren would include (among others)
Duarte Nuno, Duke of BraganzaDuarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza was a claimant to the throne of Portugal from 1920 until his death.-Birth:...
,
Elisabeth Amalia, Princess of LiechtensteinPrince Aloys of Liechtenstein was the son of Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein and Princess Henriette of Liechtenstein , daughter of Alois II of Liechtenstein...
,
Elisabeth, Queen of the BelgiansElisabeth of Bavaria , was the queen consort of Albert I of Belgium and was the mother of Leopold III of Belgium and grandmother of Baudouin I of Belgium and Albert II of Belgium.-Family:Born in Possenhofen Castle, her father was Karl-Theodor, Duke in Bavaria, an ophthalmologist of...
,
Marie Gabrielle, Crown Princess of Bavaria-Family:Her parents were Duke Karl-Theodor in Bavaria, kinsman to the Kings of Bavaria and world renowned ophthalmologist, and his second wife, Princess Maria José of Bragança, a daughter of King Miguel I, exiled monarch of Portugal...
,
Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg,
Charlotte, Grand Duchess of LuxembourgCharlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg was the reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 1919 to 1964.-Early life and life as Grand Duchess:...
,
Antoinette, Crown Princess of BavariaPrincess Antonia of Luxembourg was a member of the Luxembourgish House of Nassau-Weilburg and the wife of the Prince Rupprecht, the last Crown Prince of Bavaria...
,
Xavier, Duke of ParmaXavier, Duke of Parma and Piacenza, known before 1974 as Prince Xavier of Bourbon-Parma was the head of the ducal House of Bourbon-Parma, pretender to the defunct throne of Parma, and Carlist claimant to the throne of Spain under the name Javier I.-Early life:Xavier...
,
Zita, Empress of AustriaPrincess Zita of Bourbon-Parma was the wife of Emperor Charles of Austria...
,
Felix of Bourbon-ParmaPrince Félix of Bourbon-Parma , later Prince Félix of Luxembourg, was the husband of Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg and the father of her six children, including Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg.-Early life:Prince Félix was one of the...
and Infanta Maria Adelaide of Portugal. Many of her descendants have inherited her longevity.
In 1895, two years after the marriage of her last daughter, Adelhaid, a devout Catholic, retired to the abbey of
Sainte-Cécile de SolesmesSt. Cecilia's Abbey, Solesmes is a Benedictine nunnery founded in 1866 by Dom Prosper Guéranger, the restorer of Benedictine life in France after the destruction of the revolution...
in north-western France. The community later moved to
CowesCowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...
and then to
RydeRyde is a British seaside town, civil parish and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated on the north-east coast. The town grew in size as a seaside resort following the joining of the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower...
on the
Isle of WightThe Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, where Adelhaid died on 16 December 1909 at the age of 76. In 1967 both her body and that of her husband were moved to the
BraganzaThe Most Serene House of Braganza , an important Portuguese noble family, ruled the Kingdom of Portugal and its colonial Empire, from 1640 to 1910...
mausoleumA mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
in the
Monastery of São Vicente de ForaThe Church or Monastery of São Vicente de Fora; meaning "Monastery of St. Vincent Outside the Walls" is a 17th century church and monastery in the city of Lisbon, in Portugal...
in
LisbonLisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
.
External links
Sources
- "The Book of Kings: A Royal Genealogy" by C. Arnold McNaughton.
- "Burke's Royal Families of the World", edited by Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd.